Hi there!
My name is Emily. After wandering to the Southwest to train and practice as a midwife, I’ve made it back home.
I graduated from Loyola University Chicago in 2015 with a degree in Theology and then switched tracks, starting my journey in maternal healthcare in 2016 as a case manager at a public health clinic in the south suburbs of Chicago working with families during pregnancy and the first year postpartum. That experience left me with a desire to develop deeper relationships with the families I was serving and so I moved into a community-based doula role working with first time teen moms. I made regular home visits prenatally that combined case management with childbirth education and infant bonding facilitation, and postnatally to support these young women through their initial transition to motherhood.
During that year my favorite moments were always being given the privilege to be present during labor and bearing witness to the moment a mother met her child for the first time and a family greeted their newest member. There is nothing that compares to the joy of birth, though the clinical setting of the hospital often felt cold to me. I moved to El Paso, Texas to study midwifery at Maternidad La Luz, a busy Spanish language birth center, so that I could provide care that honors the sacredness, blessing, and power of carrying and birthing new life. After 8 months of apprenticeship there, I finished my studies with a midwife in rural New Mexico where I learned the intimacy of birthing at home, the place in which we center ourselves, our love, and ground our families. I practiced in rural New Mexico for 2.5 years before returning to Chicago.
I seek to build a true partnership with my clients and their families. You are the expert on your body, experience, and lifestyle. The deeper the trust we can establish together, the better we can work together to create and maintain an experience of healthy, low-risk pregnancy and birth that is full of comfort and joyful anticipation of baby’s arrival Earthside. I am committed to providing sensitive and respectful care addressing the unique circumstances of teens, folks who have experienced current or previous domestic violence and/or sexual assault, Black families, and families who prefer or only speak Spanish. I look forward to chatting with you to see if I could be a good fit for your care during this most exciting time.
I am currently based out of Hickory Hills (southwest Chicago suburbs) and am willing to travel about an hour from my location. If you live further than that and are having a hard time finding a midwife, please still reach out and we can discuss the potential of making it work.